We're well aware that it has been suggested many times in the past, but it was again suggested after the recent server move. Since the admins are in the groove and we're quite confident the frequent server issues are now a thing of the past (*crosses fingers*), we fired up an official IRC-channel for Hard Light Productions. There's a catch however, the channel is only on trial. Depending on how it works out, it may stay or it may be terminated.
What is IRC? Click on the link to find out and how to use IRC, but in short it is a medium of real-time internet chat. Since it is a real-time chat, definition of "spam" is much more loose there than it is on these discussion forums. We do not intend to tolerate just anything however, rules as laid out in the
Guidelines For Forum Conduct applies to our IRC-channel as well, although moderation will not be as strict.
To use an IRC-network, you need an IRC-client. If you prefer a client that supports multiple protocols including but not limited to ICQ and MSN, good choices are
Trillian (Windows) or
Gaim (cross-platform). If you like dedicated IRC-clients,
mIRC (Windows) or
XChat (cross-platform) are good choices.
We chose the
EsperNet as the IRC-network where our IRC-channel is hosted. (Kudos to Turnsky for suggesting this one) Choose your favorite IRC-client, connect to one of the EsperNet's IRC-servers, and join to channel
#hard-light!
If this is the first time you connect to one of the EsperNet's servers, pay attention to the message of the day (MotD) which is displayed in your status window. EsperNet seemed like a good choice because it is not a big IRC-network, so it should be less vulnerable to abuse such as denial of service attacks and malware and it has less nicknames registered. Remember to use common sense when it comes to security, don't accept incoming file transfers or commands from unknown people, or an0n.
Don't forget to read this
tutorial if you're new to IRC, the client you chose will also have its own set of help files or pages and maybe tutorials.
Because not all admins will maintain their presence on IRC and the admins that may do, cannot be on the channel 24/7, which is why we would like to have some assistance from you in order to maintain decent moderation on the channel when it is required. If you're interested, post in this topic or send a message to an admin if there's one online at the time. Only those who have at least decent reputation on these forums will be qualified. If you're accepted as a channel operator (IRC equivalent of a moderator), abusing your powers can get you banned both on IRC and on these forums.
Remember that continuously violating the rules as laid out in the Guidelines For Forum Conduct will get you banned on IRC and depending on your behaviour, possibly also on these forums.
